Milton leaders agree to create special education stabilization fund as schools and town debate $700,000 treatment in FY26 override

Milton School Committee members and town officials met to clarify how a $700,000 special-education circuit-breaker replenishment was treated in the townoverride package and to decide short-term steps to cover a FY25 operating shortfall.

Joanne McCarthy, town staff member, and Amy Dexter, town staff member, told the committee that the select board had voted a $9,500,000 overall level-of-service number for the override, with the schoolsallocation at 5.7 rather than 6.4. Amy Dexter said the town—sideviewed the $700,000 as part of an operating stabilization approach rather than as a permanent addition to the school operating base: "we didn't think it was appropriate to include it in the override," Dexter said, describing the town's preference to treat that funding as a replenishment or one-time/stabilization resource rather than a recurring levy increase.

The nut graf: The distinction matters because Milton Public Schools say the $700,000 was intended to replenish a circuit-breaker reserve used in FY24 to cover unanticipated special-education costs; removing that replenishment from the FY26 operating…